All in the Kiss
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: Lorelai and Luke are friends. They can hug and kiss while keeping it friendly. Can't they? Well, they definitely can in theory. LL-centered, Season 4, rated T with sexual situations. Complete.


_**Disclaimer**_: I'm not affiliated or trying to steal anything. Just playing a little make-believe.

**Author's Note**: Hey, Readers! To anyone still keeping up with the lovable pair, here's another story for ya! :) In a S4 episode, Kirk installs an alarm for Lorelai and drives her crazy because he couldn't even work the darn thing. Towards the end of that episode, she and Kirk had this sweet moment where he tells her how he just wants to keep her safe since Rory was no longer living there. Lorelai seems genuinely touched, and she leans in and kisses him on the cheek. One of those _awwww_ moments for sure. But the moment I saw that (on this particular viewing), I thought of how she would never ever ever do that with Luke. SUPPOSEDLY, Kirk and Luke are equal friends of hers. SUPPOSEDLY. But Kirk did this incredibly sweet thing, and she kissed him. So, what should keep her from doing the same thing with Luke, huh? He does sweet things all the time for her. He's king of the sweet things. Sure, it's cloaked in gruffness, but still. If she can kiss Kirk, she should be able to kiss Luke the same way. Why not right? It's all in the name of friendship. Let's see what we can do with this.

This takes place in S4, but episodes are broken apart and events are out of order. I've seen every episode too many times to count, so don't think I just _don't know the show_. Cause I do. I'm playing the role of butcher today. Little warning so you guys won't be caught off guard: Lorelai does have a beau. But as always, LL is all that matters.

Story's complete and rated T with adult spice.

Enjoy.

**All in the Kiss**

"What exactly was that?" Rory asked. She walked up to her mother on the sidewalk.

Lorelai met her eyes. "What was what?"

She pointed a finger in the direction that Kirk had gone. "You kissed Kirk, Mom. I saw you put your lips on Kirk."

"Kill the melodrama. My lips were on his cheek," she specified with an eye roll. They started walking. "When it comes to that sort of thing, always be clear cut. Otherwise, the overtones will eat you alive. We don't want that."

Rory smirked. "Well, what'd he do to deserve such hot lip action?"

Lorelai shrugged. "He built me a house."

"Wow, an invisible house. Hope it has a walk-in closet," Rory intoned.

"And he bought me a new car."

"Which he took the liberty of fashioning into a '99 Jeep Wrangler. How impressive."

Lorelai smiled. "He got me a date with George Clooney?" she offered finally.

"Okay, the house and the car, I'll give you. But I know for certain that he has no pull in the dream world. Now, what really happened?"

She chuckled. "You already know about the malfunctioning alarm he put in for me." Rory nodded at that, and Lorelai went on. "Well, I just talked to him about it, and he was all sweet and caring and made me realize how great a guy he is--"

"Move over Clooney."

"—SO," she interrupted, "I gave him a friendly peck. No biggie."

"Bet he didn't see it that way."

"No, seriously," Lorelai refuted. "It wasn't a big deal. He just smiled it off. Besides, hello! _Lulu_. He has a girlfriend. And I have Jason." She shook her head maniacally. "And oh my god, why are we talking about me and Kirk right now? It just occurred to me that I'm like defending myself. How crazy is this conversation?"

Rory crossed her arms as they walked along. "Very fox-like," she followed casually.

"Thank god you agree, then." She bumped her shoulder. "So, what's with the third degree, Jessica Fletcher?"

"No third degree here. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around your new gratuity system. Put in an alarm, get a kiss. Wonder what you would have done had the alarm actually worked." She looked at her mom with a bright smile.

Lorelai's jaw dropped. "Rory! How can--"

"I'm kidding, Mom!" she interrupted with laughter. "I'm just kidding. Welcome to the annual Daughter's Twisted Humor Day. Or DTHD, as we like to call it. Instigation is a part of the proceedings."

Lorelai checked for traffic and they crossed the road. "Well, my wonderful _Seed_, you're a shoe-in for the Nancy Kelly honorable mention."

"Yay me."

"Jeez. I'll try to keep my lips to myself from now on. At least until I get alone with a guy and naked," she teased.

"And so begins the journey of consumed food back up the ole gullet."

"You know, Hon, I can't help all this affection I have to give," Lorelai followed as she tossed her arm over Rory's shoulder. "God made me lovable. People lovable me, and I lovable people right back. What's a girl to do?"

Rory leaned away from Lorelai's lips, which were puckered and playfully aiming at various areas of her face. "Mom, please, we're in public, and I'm a grown-up now. So, this is all kinds of unacceptable." Lorelai snickered and only increased her efforts. "Besides, what if Kirk sees us? He doesn't seem like the kinda guy willing to share his woman."

Lorelai backed away and stopped walking. Rory stopped too. Her laughter only added insult to injury.

"Okay, now this is extremely disturbing because I think you're actually serious about all this," Lorelai revealed with wide eyes. "This is quickly moving away from the village of ha-ha, and straight into the land of oh my _god_!"

Rory held her hands out peaceably. It was definitely time to bring the teasing to an end. "I'm sorry, Mom; no more Kirk mockery. I was still in the village, but I'm not now. I'm miles away, I swear it."

"No more?" Lorelai asked insistently.

"No more."

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Can we walk now?"

"I'm not the one that put an end to it." Lorelai gave her a look. She smiled. "We can walk now," she answered instead.

They both started walking again.

"Man oh man," Lorelai began after a few seconds of quiet. "What on earth brought all of that on, little girl?" she asked with a touch of concern. She hated to think that Rory would actually believe that something was going on with her and Kirk, of all people.

Rory looked down at the pavement as they walked along. "You kissed Kirk."

Lorelai stared at the side of her face. "Yes, I do believe we've established that. Very _well_, in fact."

Rory smiled and looked at her. "You kissed Kirk. And Luke trimmed our hedges yesterday."

Lorelai waited a beat, all the while squinting in confusion. "Are you setting up a dirty joke?"

They stopped again, and Rory faced her. "Did you know that Luke trimmed our hedges? You weren't there, but did you know that he came by to trim our hedges?"

She sighed tiredly. "Stop saying 'trim our hedges'. It sounds disgusting."

"Mom. Answer the question."

Lorelai shrugged, irritated that she was missing the point. "No. But I did notice the crew cuts on the barberries," she added mockingly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Rory put her hand to her chest as she referred to herself. "Listen, I think it's sweet that you kissed Kirk a few minutes ago. Really. All jokes aside, he was looking out for your safety, and he totally deserved that little make-out session."

"Rory--"

"But you've never kissed Luke."

There was silence. A silence that Lorelai used to read her kid. Her eyes were locked on Rory's and she looked as if she'd forgotten how to blink. Finally, out came a slowly articulated, "And that means what, exactly?"

Rory shrugged. "It doesn't mean anything."

"It has to mean something. Otherwise, you wouldn't have said it."

"I just made an observation. That's all."

She folded her arms. "Your observation is that I've never kissed Luke?" she repeated leadingly. Rory lifted her brows in consideration then nodded. Lorelai smiled a bit. "There are plenty of people who I haven't kissed, Rory. I've never kissed Al from Al's Pancake World. I've never kissed Andrew or Bootsy or Patty or Babbette or Taylor or that guy who works at the gas station who enjoys staring at my ass while I fill the jeep up every week. There are plenty of people who I haven't kissed!" she said again defensively.

Rory just stared. "You're mad."

"I'm not mad," she disputed. Her amused smile had gone away.

"You're mad," she said again, "And really, there's no reason to be. Because my point, plain and simple, is that Luke does things for you all the time. And you've never kissed him. You would never kiss Luke. But you kissed Kirk." She shrugged carelessly. "It was just an observation, Mom. Kirk can get kisses, and Luke never could. I get it."

Lorelai took a breath and looked around the area. There were people walking in various directions, but none seemed too concerned with the conversation between the two of them.

She returned attention to Rory. "What exactly do you _get_?" she asked with harsh quotes.

"I get why you could never…do that with Luke."

"Do what with him?"

Rory answered easily. "Show any kind of affection." She chuckled a bit. "And _forget_ ever getting anywhere near him with your lips becau--"

"We're friends, Rory!" She paused to let that sink in, allowing it to make up the bulk of her argument. "I'm not supposed to do that kind of stuff with him!" she ended in explanation.

"Because he's your friend?"

"Yes."

"And Kirk is…?"

"Well, of course Kirk is my friend too, but--"

"You can kiss him and you can't kiss Luke," she finished for her.

She released an exhausted breath. "Rory."

"I get it, Mom." She cautiously looped her arm through her mother's, and she got them walking once more. "Let's figure out what we're going to eat for dinner, okay?"

Lorelai walked along grudgingly while attempting to appreciate and accept the change in subject. "Food," she answered distractedly.

Rory laughed. "Wow, guess it's true what they say. Two heads really are better than one," she responded.

"Rory, I've known him a long time."

She squinted. "Who?"

"Luke. I've known Luke a long time," Lorelai clarified.

She nodded. "Okay. Didn't know we were still on this, but uh…okay." She thought. "You've, uh…you've known Kirk a long time too, thou--"

"Please stop making points against my points."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," she snapped.

"Fine, then I take it back."

"Rory." They slowed a bit. "I need you, of all people, to understand where I'm coming from without.." She shut her eyes briefly, "reading all this crap into it."

"It's crap?"

"You know what I mean."

"I told you I get it, Mom."

"No, you're not getting it. You're trying to make this into something romantic, and it's not that at all."

"Would it be weird?" Rory asked.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because it's Luke, Rory! Luke!" she said by way of explanation.

"Yes. And it was Kirk, Mom! Kirk! And you slobbed him down with no problem."

"Dead horse, Rory."

"Right. Sorry."

"You really don't see where I'm coming from?"

Rory shook her head. "Not without doing what you don't want me to do. It's kind of hard not to do that, actually."

"You mean making it into something it's _not_," Lorelai illuminated.

"That would be it," Rory answered.

Lorelai looked down at their slow moving feet for seconds before speaking. "Imagine me kissing Luke."

"Ew, no."

"Hypothetical."

"Oh." She paused. "Ew, no."

Lorelai smiled. "I have reasons, Rory. Good reasons. _Solid_ reasons. Reasons that have nothing to do with feelings. Ones that would help me to save face."

"Let's hear 'em."

"They're…implicit or something. Something that makes no sense, I know, but still makes plenty of sense."

"Much like that sentence."

"Well, it makes sense to me. That's all that matters."

"Sure," Rory agreed sarcastically.

"And plus, even if I did decide to give him a kiss on his cheek, how would I even go about finding it? It's buried underneath tons of scruff."

"Sounds like you're caving."

"I'm not caving."

"Luke deserves a kiss, Mom."

Lorelai looked over at her. "Excuse me?"

Rory tightened her arm even more around hers. That had come out wrong, and she didn't want Lorelai to break free in anger. "If anyone deserves a kiss, you know it's Luke. Kirk installed an alarm, and that was awesome, but Luke practically kept the whole house together over all these years. I'm just saying, if you're gonna give away smooches, then he's definitely paid his dues."

Lorelai shook her head away. "I can't believe my kid is pimping out my kisses."

She smiled. "Have I convinced you?"

"Is that what you were supposed to be doing?"

"It wasn't my intention, but…" She shrugged, "Sure! Why not?"

Lorelai chuckled. "I don't see the point really."

"In kissing Luke?"

"Don't say it like that. It makes it seem like a real ki—it makes it seem more real than it is."

"Gives you butterflies?" Rory teased.

"No, it gives me the label of a whore. I have a…person. A Jason. Remember?"

"So, Jason's keeping the butterflies in check?"

"I'm sorry, have you seen my sweet, innocent, non-trouble-causing kid?" Lorelai asked Rory pointedly.

Rory grinned. "So, you'll do it?"

"Why? Just to prove that I can?"

"It's not as trivial as you make it sound, believe it or not."

Lorelai shrugged. "Kissing Kirk was no big deal."

"Challenge accepted?"

"This is…so stupid. Seriously crazy conversation taking place."

"I double dog dare you to give Luke a kiss on the cheek. Are you going to back down like a scared little girl?"

"Yale attendee, and the best you can come up with is that elementary reverse psychology technique?"

"Oh, so I guess you _are_ a scared little mama's girl, then huh?"

"You think bringing Emily into this is going to help you win?"

"Yes, I do," Rory stated proudly.

"You really are Yale educated."

Rory laughed.

Lorelai paused in thought. Then, shook her head. "We're not going to make this a challenge."

"So, you're still not going to--"

"I'll do it. I can do it." She repeated that in her head. "But we can't make it a bet or a deal or a challenge. This isn't a boy's locker-room, and I'm not going to come back holding up Luke's boxers."

"You know what kind of underwear he wears. Nice."

Lorelai smiled and went on. "When the mood strikes—and by that I mean whenever he's going out of his way for me--"

"Which is all the time."

"—Then I'll extend the same courtesy as I did with Kirk. It won't be a big deal. Kiss on the cheek—bada bing, bada boom."

"Easy as pie," Rory followed.

"I can do this."

"Yup."

"I can do this," she repeated quietly.

"I'm sure you can," Rory replied brightly. "And after you're finished with Luke, we can get you started on Al and Andrew."

"Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Then, Bootsy and Tom and Michel and Taylor--"

"That's the spirit!" Rory encouraged in jest.

"Mmhm. And by that time, I'll be dumped and single, so that leaves the greasy gas station guy who, I'm guessing, will gladly offer me more than his cheek to put my lips on."

"Oh my god! Replace the imagery. Replace the imagery."

"Food."

"Keep going."

"Um...burgers from Luke's and a couple of sundaes from Taylor's shop."

Rory took a breath. "Better, thanks. And that sounds great."

Lorelai smiled.

They came upon Luke's Diner, and she took a deep breath while making herself forget the reality of what she'd agreed to do. Lorelai opened the door, and she and Rory stepped inside.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Luke!"

Luke lifted his eyes to Lorelai. He was writing on his notepad. "Why are you yelling? I'm standing right here in front of you."

She gestured at him. "It looked like you were somewhere else. I thought I'd help bring you back," she responded.

He rolled his eyes back to the pad. "Well, I'm not somewhere else. I'm right here. What can I do for you?"

"What were you thinking about?"

"Not thinking. I'm writing. I'm working." Again, he looked up. "Is Rory meeting you here? You look like you need a soundboard, and I'm hoping--"

"That's what you're for," she replied with a smile.

He sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"And no, Rory's back at school. So, it's just you and me, Sport," she revealed and pushed away her menu. "Mind if I get some chili cheese fries and a refill on my coffee?"

He frowned. "Fries? That's it? That's what you're having for lunch?"

"Mmhm. And extra napkins. It's gonna get pretty serious over here."

He shook his head. "Not gonna happen. You have to get something else to at least _attempt_ to soak up the grease. Get a turkey sandwich. That'll help."

"When have you ever seen me order a turkey sandwich?" she asked with a scowl. "I want chili cheese fries, and that is all," she declared.

He shrugged. "Tough. You're not getting them."

Lorelai's words were thrown on pause as Luke disappeared into the back. He re-emerged and grabbed the coffee pot. He filled Lorelai's mug, and she took the moment to let him know what was on her mind. "I'm a customer, Luke. You have to get what I order," she said with poise as she clasped her hands on the countertop.

He set the pot on the base. "Says who?"

"No one has to say it. It's just known."

"Well, it's not known by me because my answer is still _no_. Now, what do you want to go with the fries?"

She gasped. "What if I don't have enough money for something else?"

He set his pad down. "Then you can work it off in the kitchen. My dishwasher just broke, so that'll work out perfectly."

A smile showed through Lorelai's ever-growing gasp. Luke looked at her with no smile. She could see one in his eyes though. He could never hide that one, no matter how much he tried.

"Luke! I'm sitting here starving and you're withholding food. This is so wrong."

"I'm not withholding food. In fact, I'm offering you more. All you have to do is agree to my terms."

"I'm not agreeing to anything! This is extortion!"

He actually laughed. "How is it extortion?" he asked in amusement.

She laughed when he did but still went on. "I don't know, but it is!" She slumped down some in defeat. "Can I please just have my fries? I'm hungry, Luke!"

He lifted his brows and started wiping down the countertop. "All the more reason for you to listen to me."

Lorelai dropped her head inside of her arms. Luke went about business as normal.

"Hi. Can I get a large order of french fries and a diet coke to go, please?"

"Sure," Luke replied to the new customer. Lorelai's head flew up. "Caesar, need a large fry to go!" he yelled into the back.

Lorelai looked from the woman customer and back to Luke. He had moved over to the register and was ringing her up.

"Luke!" she exclaimed.

Luke passed the customer some loose change. "Hm?" he answered in nonchalance. When he didn't hear anything other than non-thought out sounds of indignation, he looked at Lorelai. "Problem?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Uh, yes! I most certainly have a problem!"

He smiled more. "Be right back with your soda," he said to the customer.

Lorelai waited impatiently. It took Luke only seconds to come back with the coke and a promise of five minutes on the to-go order of fries. The woman thanked him and went over to speak to a friend of hers at a nearby table.

Lorelai's fingers tapped the countertop.

Luke smirked. "Look, I'm doing this for your own good, Lorelai."

She scoffed. "So, what, am I supposed to be flattered that you're depriving me?"

"No, but you can just accept the reality of this. Would certainly make _my_ life a whole lot easier."

She frowned. "What reality? The reality that you hate me and want to torture me endlessly?!" she accused dramatically.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Yeah. That," he deadpanned. He picked his pad back up. "Or the reality that has me wanting to keep you alive past age fifty."

His sincerity made the dramatics fizzle. He had an ability to catch Lorelai off guard with words she never expected. Still, she never let him see that. There was just less of a show as she asked, "And what about the rest of your customers? They can order whatever they choose without getting a hard time. How is that fair?"

He shrugged. "Can't save the world," he said simply.

She smiled. "But you can save me?"

A corner of his mouth went up. "Try. I can only try."

Lorelai eyes rested on his lowered lids as he focused on his pad. He lifted his eyes to her.

"Order up!" Caesar yelled.

Luke sighed and broke that split second of contact. "In the meantime…" He turned and got the plastic basket out of the order window. He dropped it in front of Lorelai and went back to writing. "…enjoy your slow death."

Lorelai grinned down at the fries in front of her. Extra chili, extra cheese.

"Awww, Luke."

"Just eat," he stated in a gruff tone.

She chuckled. "But--"

He raised his eyes to her. "You want me to take 'em away? 'Cause I can take 'em away," he threatened.

She covered her food. "No, I don't want you to do that," she answered.

He rolled his eyes down. "Then shut it."

Lorelai straightened up on her stool. She still smiled at his lack of eye contact. "Well, when you say it so kindly, how can I not?"

"Best you're gonna get," he huffily replied as he finished up. He flipped his notepad closed then looked up to see Lorelai taking her first bite.

She closed her eyes. "Mmmmm."

Luke nodded toward her. "Good?"

"Ah, perfection. All around perfection."

"Great. I'll get Caesar to wrap that turkey sandwich up, and you can take it with you." He flashed her a smile and walked away.

Lorelai held her chili-covered finger closed to her mouth as she smiled at Luke's retreating form.

---

"Are you about to take off?"

Lorelai leaned on the counter more. "Nope. Thought I'd stick around and keep you company for a few more hours," she playfully remarked.

"Why? You're done eating," Luke pointed out.

"I know. Figured I'd sit here and let my digestive system do its thing while I decide what I want to eat when its finished."

He gave her a blank look. "You're kidding, right?"

She shrugged. "Who's to say?"

"You," he said dully before he went back to wiping down the countertop. "You can say."

"Really?" She lifted her brows. "Wow, talk about all-powerful. Well, give me a minute, and I'll get back to you with my decision."

"Something to look forward to," Luke replied. He moved down the counter smoothly with the rag. "So, what's the real reason you're planning to waste half a day in here?"

"How can you call time in Luke's Diner a wasted day?" she asked, aghast.

"Easily. Even I'd skip out on the joint if I could." He dropped the rag under the counter.

Lorelai smiled. "Well, if you skipped out, not only would I have my camera primed and loaded," she promised, "but I wouldn't see much reason to stick around. I mean, sure the coffee and burger aroma will keep me rooted for a little while, but with the eye candy gone, so would be my inspiration," she ended with fluttering lashes.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Cut the crap."

"Got a knife?"

He focused on her. "So, you're really just gonna sit here?"

She lowered her eyes from his casually and had subconscious hope that once she looked up, he'd have his strikingly blue eyes on another target. "Well, if you're going to corner me, I'll let you in on the dirty truth."

"Let's hear it."

She glanced at him. "I have to be at the inn in about thirty minutes, so I don't see much purpose of going home and getting all comfortable only to step out again."

"Makes sense."

"I thought so," she followed with a nod.

Luke continued to look at her. "Thought you said you were through for the day."

"What?"

"You just said you're going to the inn. But when you came in, you said you were finished work for today."

She looked off in thought. "Did I say that?"

"Yup. You came in, sat down, made an inappropriate comment about my ballpark hotdogs, and then said for the first time in three weeks, you finished early and had half a day to yourself," he recalled with ease.

"You sure that was me?"

His features showed amusement. "Pretty positive."

She met his eyes and smiled slowly. "Why can't you be like a normal guy and stare at my chest as I talk?"

He shrugged. "Guess I like to stand out from the crowd."

"Obviously," she mumbled. With a sigh of defeat, she said, "I'm meeting someone there. Happy?"

Luke, of course, knew what that was code for. He made a conscious effort not to drop his eyes and/or slink away as if the conversation had never happened. "Oh," he said with nonchalance. Then he smiled. "The boyfriend."

Lorelai nearly flinched at the label. She and Jason had been dating for a few weeks, but she had yet to think of him as the 'b' word.

"Jason," she corrected subtly. "I'm meeting Jason there, yes."

Luke nodded thoughtfully then lowered his eyes to some money that a customer slid toward him. He stepped over to the register. "So, I'm just the layover, huh?" he asked Lorelai with a smirk. "That really hurts my feelings, Lorelai."

Lorelai's face showed mild delight at hearing Luke not take discussion to an uncomfortable place.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, it's a really awesome layover. Lots of amenities, exquisite cuisine, and the scenery is particularly lovely. I mean, that No Cell Phones sign is ravishing. It jumps right out at you."

"Funny since you never seem to pay it any attention."

She smiled. "Do you feel better now?"

He shut the cash drawer as the customer turned and left. "Fantastic," he said drolly. "Thanks for the ego feed."

"Anytime, hon."

He smiled a little, and his eyes went to Lorelai as he hoped she hadn't caught that. Their eyes met, and hope faded. She'd seen it alright. Luke cleared his throat and looked down to the counter where he began to clear away customer plates.

Lorelai leaned forward comfortably. "So, are you going to keep me entertained until I have to leave?"

"Sure." He pointed behind her. "If you're really looking for a jolly good time, those tables over there need to be cleaned. What do you say to a little manual labor?"

She frowned playfully. "I say 'you, Mr. Labor, are no friend of mine. Please be gone.' Then I spit at it and talk about its mother until it feels really unappreciated."

"So, not fun?"

"Not fun at all."

He shrugged. "Then, I got nothing."

She gestured at him. "You can tell me a joke."

He paused to look at her. "Are you kidding?"

"Unh unh."

He shook his head and continued to clean. "I don't know any jokes."

"Sure, you do. I'm sure you have some knock knockers crouched somewhere between the sports trivia and the tons and tons of hogtied vocabulary."

"Don't know any jokes, Lorelai."

"You don't have a favorite joke?"

"No."

"Not even from childhood?"

He didn't even think about it before coming back with a casual sounding, "Nope."

She squinted. "You're lying," she said studying him.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."

She reached out and touched his hand briefly just to get his attention. "Come on, Luke! I really want to hear it. Tell me what makes you laugh. I wanna know," she ended. Luke heard the rare sound of sincerity, and when he looked at her, he saw the not-so-rare _look_ of it in her features.

He sighed. "Lorelai…?"

She appeared anxious. "_Yeees_?" she answered with a sudden grin.

He stacked dishes in his hands. "Do you really think I'd allow a knock-knock joke to get stored in here?" he asked while gesturing at his head. He shook his head in disappointment and walked to the order window where he slid the plates and cutlery. Lorelai chuckled in the background. "I'll be right back. Gonna run to the storage room," he told her.

She nodded.

Luke went into the back room, and Lorelai looked around shortly before her eyes landed on the door of that room.

She thought about the conversation that she'd had with Rory the day before. And then she was staring at the door with more intent. Her mind ran through so many thoughts and spun so much that it was a wonder how she stayed upright on the stool.

Lorelai broke herself of her focus and got to her feet.

Luke was lowering boxes to the floor when she made it to the door of the storage room. He stood up to get another box and spotted her. He appeared startled but seemed to relax once he saw who it was. He resumed work.

"Hey. What are you doing back here?" he asked casually.

Lorelai took a breath and stepped inside. "Thought I'd come and make sure you didn't get attacked by any oversized canned goods. Vegetables are vengeful that way."

"Yeah, well, not as vengeful as the stuff you eat. At least with the canned goods, you can see the attack coming."

She crossed her arms and finally stopped in front of where he was. "Are you trying to imply that I--"

"Eat a lot of stuff that will probably kill you one day? Yeah. Glad you picked up on that."

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about the food I eat. I'm sure your tireless rants and speeches will cause some sort of incurable brain malady long before my diet gets a chance to work its magic."

He shook his head, and when he stood up again, Lorelai saw hints of a smile. "Well, I definitely don't want to be the cause of your demise, so I guess I'll cool it."

"Oh, happy day."

"For now," he added deftly.

She snapped her fingers. "Darn, _so_ close…"

He smiled fully and finally popped open one of the boxes. He removed a smaller box of sanitizing packets and held it at his side. His eyes rested on Lorelai who remained rooted. "You wanna head back out?" he asked with a quick point behind where she blocked his exit.

She looked at him more closely than was normal for them. "Uh, yeah," she answered artlessly. In her eyes, there was anxiety. They bounced between his.

Luke cocked his head. "You're looking at me weird." He paused. "Why are you looking at me weird?" he asked in his unassuming manner.

"Um…"

Lorelai had come in the diner, and she and Luke had gone back and forth over a food choice he didn't want her to have. At least not without it being accompanied with something a little more heart-friendly. Just as she thought that hope was lost and she wasn't going to get the food she craved, Luke not only gave in, but he also gave her extras on the house. Extra chili, extra cheese.

That was the person he was. He exceeded expectations. If Lorelai asked him to mow the grass, he would do that, and then he'd come back the next day and trim the hedges. Not only would he do those sorts of things, but he would carry on in perfect contentment if she never even learned of his deeds.

Lorelai knew she wouldn't have to search hard for a reason to kiss Luke.

They were all over the place. All she needed now was that little thing called follow-through.

She looked at him, and he looked at her. His look questioned her, though.

"Lorelai, are you having some kind of a stroke?"

She could actually hear her own heartbeat as she stood utterly still. "What?"

He repeated his question. And maybe followed with an explanation. Lorelai knew his MO. That's what she went off of in determining his following dialogue because she heard nothing. She watched him step closer, but he did that in concern as he called her name.

She blinked and seemed to snap out of something.

"Hm? I'm fine, Luke."

"Are you sure? You were scaring me for a second."

She smiled lightly while releasing tension from her body. "Just for a second? Damn. I'll try to do better next time."

He rolled his eyes. "Mind if I go check on my diner now?"

She turned to the side to allow him room to get by. "You may cross," she stated.

"Wonderful," he muttered as he passed by her.

Lorelai waved him onward. He made it to the door and turned back. "Are you coming or are you going to stand in here to come up with your next plan for scaring me half to death?"

Lorelai smiled while looking at him. Her hands were linked in front of her.

She would not kiss him now.

She couldn't.

She had built up the moment, and because of this, there was to be no execution. It surprised her at how quickly she was able to psych herself out. The pressure had mounted so fast, and it came entwined with a nervous feeling that refused to let up. She saw Luke standing in front of her, and a simple kiss on the cheek became an insurmountable task for which she felt ill prepared.

She certainly had not felt such an anxiety with Kirk. While in front of Luke and unable to move, she was sure she had _never_ felt such a way. Especially not over something as silly as a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm right behind you, Luke."

He nodded while looking at her. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?" he asked one final time.

Her smile only brightened as she walked over to the door. "Yes. I'm _sure_," she reassured mockingly. "Now, let's get back out here so I can hear that joke of yours, buster."

He sighed deeply and turned to walk out. "Oh boy, we still on that?"

Lorelai poked his back with her index finger. "I will not be denied!"

She closed the door behind the two of them.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai walked through the square quickly on her way home from the inn.

She smiled and waved at a townie who called her by name in passing. The phone Lorelai held to her ear made her so very grateful to be unable to talk. She wouldn't be able to recall the woman's name if her life depended on it. Unfortunately, that particular Stars Hollow High parent hadn't gotten the memo that Lorelai was officially off limits. She'd been explicated from the mom club and no longer addressed by any member in public. All because she'd mentioned sex and condoms around their not-as-oblivious teenagers.

Oy with the poodles, already.

But Lorelai's Stepford-free year hadn't been completely unwelcomed. She thanked Luke for the distraction.

"This is why cell phones are the best creation ever. It keeps you from having to deal with all that annoying face-to-face interaction. You totally saved me just then."

"Cell phones are a hazard. They cause accidents, tumors, and brain damage; they're expensive, loud, flashy, and shouldn't be used at anytime outside of an emergency. _And_ they cause everyday jackasses to become even bigger jackasses because they lose all sense of decorum with no regard for anyone else around them. Exactly the reason why I don't allow them in my diner," spewed Luke.

Lorelai's eyes narrowed. "Did you just take a dig at me?" she asked of the jackass comment.

Luke rolled his eyes on his end. "Listen, I'm running late. I gotta get back to work."

Lorelai picked up her pace. "No, no, no. I'm on my way now. Just wait there."

Luke picked up a framed picture of Lorelai and Rory and looked at it closely before setting it back down. He put his hand on his hip and spoke into Lorelai's cordless as he paced toward the couch. "How far away are you?" he asked.

"Five minutes," she said in promise. "Maybe a teeny bit longer only because these heels are being really mean to my feet right now." She grimaced as she tried to speed up.

He shook his head. "I'll probably see you on my way out anyway. I can't wait five minutes, Lorelai. I'm already late."

"But Luke!"

"But Luke what? I'm not saying I _won't_. I'm saying I _can't_." He checked his watch. "I'll catch you later, okay?"

"Wait! I want to thank you. For fixing the drip, I want to thank you! Can't you wait for that?"

"It was no big deal."

"It really was. Let me thank you."

He sighed. "Just do it now."

"Thank you?" she questioned.

"You're welcome," he replied impatiently. "Now, I've gotta go."

"Wha—no! That wasn't my thank you!"

"Well, it was good enough. Bye, Lorelai," he said while leaning toward the base.

"No, wait, lemme hear your cell phone rant again! I missed it the first ti--" Lorelai ended the call when Luke hung up the phone mid-sentence. "Impossible, that man," she grumbled. She dropped her phone in her purse and hurried along toward her house.

She half-walked, half-jogged in the painful shoes to catch Luke before he left the crapshack.

She had to catch him.

He had gone to her house to fix the bathroom faucet while she was stuck at the inn conferring with Tom. The inn and its ongoing complications were definitely starting to eat away at her free time, not to mention her already empty pockets. Anyway, Luke had spent over an hour at her house, and he only called to complain when, due to damage, he realized how long the faucet's drip had gone unreported to him.

If ever there were a time for Lorelai to show utmost gratitude, it would be now.

The man was a saint in every meaning of the word.

"Please let Babbette come outside and hold him hostage with a gnome crisis," Lorelai whispered.

Seconds later, her brisk walk came to an end when she saw Luke's old green pick-up coming up the road. She sighed and waved her hand so he'd see her. Luke slowed the truck down, and Lorelai crossed in front to get to the driver's side. He lowered his window more and she placed her hands on the door.

"Just couldn't wait, could you?"

He shrugged. "Told you I had to get back."

She shook her head while looking at him. "You can't even let a girl thank you properly. For shame, Lucas."

"And what's your proper thank you consist of? Putting on an English accent, I bet."

She smiled. "Well…yeah. And you totally missed out on it."

"Bummer."

"Tell me about it. Try living with yourself now." Her eyes were on his as she participated in thoughtless banter.

Luke turned his attention to the road ahead, then back to her. "It wasn't just a ruse, you know. I really do have to get going."

Lorelai took her hands off the truck. "Oh, yeah, sorry."

He put on a half-moon sort of a smile. "S'okay. And uh, your sink is fixed. I'm sure your water company's going to miss all the extra loot you've been tossin' at 'em for months."

"I bet," she followed flippantly. She leaned on the door again. "Hey, thanks a lot, okay?"

Luke got his truck in gear. "Anytime."

She stayed in place for additional seconds. Her hand left the door, and she did that with intention of touching him. His flannel shirt more specifically. Maybe she was going to grasp it. Maybe rub it. Or maybe even pull on it gently while moving her face closer to his. She really had no clue what the result would have been had she not caught herself and dropped her hand at her side.

That was for the best. She definitely couldn't lay one on him in the middle of the street. They'd never hear the end of it.

Luke caught the apprehension that she displayed. "Something wrong?"

"Uh no. Nothing's wrong." She backed away some. "You better get back to work. Sorry to occupy your time with my single-woman-in-distress problems," she ended with a smile.

He smirked as he inched the truck forward. "Single woman? Forgetting about the boyfriend already, huh? Not a good sign," he chided.

She rolled her eyes as if to clarify but she said nothing other than, "Don't you have a diner waiting for you?"

His smile widened when he faced the road. Lorelai watched him drive away from her.

If Luke had looked in his rearview mirror, he would have drawn a blank as to why Lorelai stood in the middle of the road watching his truck get smaller and smaller. But he didn't look in the mirror. He was occupied in thought. He went over the look of her eyes. She would give him looks that were oftentimes hard as hell to forget. If he had a way to read her mind during those moments, he'd fork over every dollar he was worth to do that.

Luke didn't bother to look in the rearview. So, he remained unaware. He didn't see her standing there as if she had unfinished business.

Business that had eluded her yet again.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Tom's tone is what got to her.

He had stood there and with a growing discomfort, told Lorelai that he hadn't been getting paid.

Tom and his team of workers dutifully worked on the remodel of the Dragonfly. They were always on time, and they were the most respectful group of men in hard hats that ever existed. The only cat call that was going to take place was the one that Lorelai promised Tom in exchange for his continuing patience.

She needed money. Tom was a good guy—a great guy—but he still had a business to run, and he couldn't just comp a construction job like one could do a steak dinner.

Since Lorelai and Sookie were tapped out, Lorelai was left with one of three options.

She could A.) pull the plug on the whole thing B.) ask her wealthy parents for the money, which truth be told, wasn't even worth adding to the list since it would never happen or C.) she could go to a friend. A friend who Sookie had suggested. Initially, she would have been willing to suffer humiliation and yet another debt to her parents in order to avoid bringing this friend into the crisis.

But upon deliberation, she decided to just bite the bullet and ask the friend.

She was going to ask Luke for thirty thousand dollars.

It was something she really didn't want to do because she knew he would probably give it to her. With little to no questions asked.

Money made friends into enemies. It built walls, and it destroyed pasts. TV court dramas thrived due to stupid money issues and the people who created them. Lorelai would gladly go with option A if she knew for a fact that option C would cause her to lose Luke's friendship. Forfeiting her dream would be a small price to pay, in all seriousness.

But at this point, she just had to have faith that it would never get to that place. She wouldn't dare let it.

She'd entered the diner early and asked Luke out to dinner. He'd agreed but remained curious of her intention. Judging by her approach, he knew immediately it wasn't anything romantic, so when he saw her later that evening on his way to pick her up, he was anything but heartbroken at her request to reschedule. He was, however, extremely concerned. She was on the verge of tears and tried unsuccessfully to mask it.

He and she sat on a nearby bench, and there, she broke. She poured out her recent frustrations to him as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Tonight at dinner, my grandmother basically called me a charity case, and I couldn't even argue with her, Luke! Because I am." Luke put his arm on the bench behind her. "I'm running out of money, and I don't know what to do. I invited you to dinner because I need your help. That's how pathetic I am. I've resorted to hitting my friends up for money."

He nodded receptively. "Oh. Well, okay, that's okay. Um, how much were you--"

"No, please, I don't want to talk about that now," she blubbered before lowering her head against his chest.

"Okay," he responded softly as he rubbed her shoulder. She sobbed into his shirt, and he pulled her closer, squeezed her more firmly. "It's going to be okay," he whispered.

Part of her—that pride-filled part of her—was screaming orders to pull it together before she completely embarrassed herself. It told her that if she stopped now, she could still save face. Problem was, an even bigger part, welcomed the comfort she felt in that moment. And all that did was make her want to get it all out. For once, she wasn't being counted on to hold it all together.

"I can't do all of this alone. I can't." Luke nodded over her bowed head. "Sookie is supposed to be my partner, but she has a baby now, so she can't be there like she planned to be. And I'm drowning. I can barely get air. I can't—I can't do everything by myself! Things are falling apart, and I just feel like I'm failing…"

That struck a nerve with him. "You are _not_ failing, Lorelai."

She cried quietly. "I…can't…what if I can't do this…?"

Luke raised his other hand to her hair and kneaded his fingers against her scalp in a soft and soothing manner. "You're going to do this," he said with his chin dropped in her hair. "You're going to overcome this like you've overcome everything else in your life, you hear me?"

Her sobbing continued for a while longer, and it gradually faded away until she was sniffling and shivering. She remained against Luke.

His voice broke through the even quieter night air. "This is your dream, and you're going to see it through. That's all there is to it." He waited a few seconds then moved his fingertips quickly in her hair to get her attention. "Okay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded her head and stayed in place.

Luke sighed and relaxed on the bench as he continued to rub her arm and hair. He did it more decisively when he felt her shivers intensify. Her body seemed to lean into his embrace on its own.

Lorelai closed her eyes in peace as her sniffles grew fainter.

Luke looked ahead. Out into the distance. He glanced down at her then situated himself. He cleared his throat and took his hand from her hair, choosing only to rub her shoulder since she was no longer in the same state. "Um…" He looked around casually to make sure no one was within listening range. "There was this guy," he continued. "He, uh…he went into his doctor's office for a check-up." He ran a hand over his mouth and took a short breath as he organized his thoughts.

"And um his doctor did the check-up and everything, and when he came back with the results, he told the guy…he said uh, _'I've got some bad news for you. You're gonna die, and you don't have a lot of time left.'_ Guy gets upset and goes, you know, _'Well how many months--'_—no, no, he says uh, _'How long do I have?'_ Doctor says _'Ten'_. That's all he said—ten. Guy starts panicking of course and goes, _'Ten? Ten what?!'_ He starts listing stuff. _'Ten years? Months? Weeks…'_ Doctor interrupts him and he's kinda lookin' at his watch. _'Nine…' _"

Luke paused to let the punch line sink in.

Lorelai didn't say anything and didn't make a sound, but Luke felt a soft shaking in her body as he held her. He rubbed her arm more tenderly and went further down to her elbow. He waited a beat, and then asked quietly, "Are you smiling?"

She leaned into him and her hand went to his thigh. Luke took a small breath and dismissed the feeling. Because all he could think about was getting her back to normal.

Her answer came on a whisper. "I'm smiling."

He lifted his chin to avoid speaking into her hair. "One of the good ones?" he asked before lowering his mouth in her curls anyway.

She moved her head to his shoulder comfortably. She still didn't look at him for fear of what the crying had done to her appearance. "What's a good one?" she asked quietly. She sniffed and brought her thumb to her cheeks to wipe drying tears.

"A real one," he answered.

She smiled again and spoke with a better voice. It was still quiet but didn't sound nearly as feeble. "You think I have fake smiles?"

He ran his hand back up her arm slowly and applied a light squeeze to her shoulder. "Only when you're sad," he answered considerately.

She remained silent as she cleared her face of tears. "It was real."

He nodded. "Good."

He didn't dare ask her if she was feeling better because he wasn't naïve enough to think that one silly joke would turn her whole mood around.

"You told me a joke," she whispered.

He sighed. "Yeah, you just make sure this stays on this bench." She chuckled a little, and Luke felt her hand move to his side. "Got a reputation to uphold here," he finished grandly.

Her laughter faded after a moment. "We can leave everything on the bench. Don't worry."

"Good."

She paused. "And by everything, I mean _everything_."

"You mean--"

"My breakdown? I do believe so."

"It wasn't a breakdown," he responded with an eye roll.

"My eyeliner is on your shirt and my face is all puffy like I had an allergic reaction. It was a breakdown."

"Whatever. If you want to leave your non-breakdown on the bench, consider it done."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he followed gruffly. His hand, however, was now squeezing along her entire arm with affection, making it clear the grumpiness was for show. Lorelai still rested her hand on the side of his stomach.

"I feel better," she revealed softly.

"Hm?"

"I feel better," she repeated. "I just wanted you to know that."

His hand slowed on her arm, and within seconds, he stopped movement altogether. "You want to go in the diner?"

"For food? You mean no Sylvano's?" she asked amusedly.

Luke smiled. "Not tonight. How about I just make you an extra big cheeseburger?"

Lorelai lifted her head from his shoulder sluggishly and sat up. His arm slid from around her. "Oh boy. You feel sorry for me, don't you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"You're offering me food that you usually yell at me for ordering."

He shrugged. His arm was now on the bench behind her. "Who said I wasn't planning to yell at you?"

She looked at him with a face that she was still embarrassed by. Her immediate smile made her turn eyes to him without forethought. "You're going to give me food that I didn't ask for, then yell at me when I eat it?"

He considered that. "Maybe I'll just give you judgmental looks instead."

"Cause you feel sorry for me?" she asked with a sort of vulnerable humor.

"No. Just like to switch it up from time to time is all. I'll try it out on you tonight and see how it works."

She rolled her eyes affably and looked away. "It won't."

Luke exaggerated a strain as he got to his feet. "Yeah, well, nothing ever does," he ended casually.

He got in front of her and put both hands in his pockets. Her eyes rose to his, and he smiled. "What do you say? Join me for dinner?" he asked as he gestured toward the diner with his head. Lorelai looked up at him for a long moment, and she dropped her eyes just as her smile widened. She focused on her fingers in her lap as time steadily ticked away without a word from her.

Luke sighed. "If you're waiting for me to beg, you're wasting your time." Again, she looked at him. He looked to the side and roughly cleared his throat at the same time as he grumbled out a disguised, "please."

Her laughter mixed in with his new fake coughs. When she settled down, she found him smiling. "Just that _one_," he explained with a shrug. He pivoted with both his hands still in his pants pockets. Lorelai noticed him offering her his arm. She stood and touched her hand to the bend in his elbow as she wiped her eyes further.

"Come on, come on," Luke urged. "Offer's not good for long. I turn back into a jerk at a quarter past."

Her arm slipped into his, and she locked him tightly as her other hand went to his arm just to rest there.

"I don't associate with jerks," she said simply.

He smirked. "Then I, uh, better get you inside before fifteen after then, huh?"

She smiled a kind smile. "Good one."

He nodded and got them walking. "Guess you're laughing on the inside, then."

"Oh yeah," she said with obvious sarcasm.

He sighed. "Least that's something," he said pitifully.

Lorelai smiled. He was humoring her, and it was so obvious in her eyes. He was stepping outside of his zone and trying to get her to smile. Laugh. Forget. And what's more, he had actually succeeded. Instead of thinking about the inn, her thoughts were on him. She thought of their friendship and of his loyalty, compassion, and selflessness. Their relationship and all that it consisted of passed through her mind.

"You okay?"

Lorelai looked at him. "Yeah." She realized she was rubbing his arm with her free hand, and she knew that was why he'd asked the question. She relaxed her arm and stopped rubbing before she asked, "Don't I seem it?"

He smiled and looked ahead.

Her eyes were on the side of his face. She considered leaning over and planting a huge kiss there right at that moment. The area looked inviting. She'd complained of scruffiness to Rory, but as she stared, not one part of her saw that as a bad thing. She wondered if it would tickle. She figured it would. But she wondered if that tickle would actually make her want to laugh.

She doubted that much.

Realizing where her thought process was beginning to lead her, she revisited the simple plan to just kiss him and get it over with. Easy as one, two, three.

She counted out '_one'_ in her head, and before she got to two, Luke had turned his head and looked at her again. Her eyes went to his and then they both faced forward. With that, her concentration was broken. Shit. She took a breath and started once more. '_One_…'

"You look nice tonight, by the way. The, uh, dress and everything…" Luke said with his eyes still straight ahead.

Lorelai looked at his profile again, and she fought her growing smile. "Thanks," she said quietly. Without thought, she leaned in and pressed her lips against the shoulder of his leather jacket. It was a brief kiss. A kiss she hadn't planned on at all.

A kiss to his shoulder.

He looked down at her and by then she was looking ahead with a tiny smile. She felt slightly silly. Only slightly. Not embarrassed though, which was a good thing given her night. While on the bench, she'd had enough to last a lifetime.

Luke cleared his throat. "So, uh…" He thought of something to say to fill the quiet and only ended up jumpstarting a conversation he was going to save for when they were inside the diner. "…about that…money you need…"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, Luke, let's not talk about that now. Please."

He nodded. "Okay, fine." He ushered her across the street. "Why don't I just write you a check?"

"Luke."

"Just let me know what you need."

"We can't do it like this. There should be projections and charts and…tablecloths."

"I'm good for up to seventy."

Lorelai dropped her face in her palm.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Well, good luck this afternoon, okay…yeah, I'll see you tomorrow night…bye, Jason."

Lorelai ended the call on her cell phone and placed it inside of the cup holder of the jeep. She checked her watch. "Damn it."

Her cell rang again, and she retrieved it and checked the ID before answering. "Hey, kid," she said once connected to Rory. "Why aren't you in class? It's after two."

"Hey to you too, Mom. And class was cancelled, so I have an hour to kill."

"Should've known this phone call had pretense. Since when did I become the lame-o person you call only when you have nothing else to do? I thought that was Paris' slot."

"She's busy at the paper, so I had to settle for number two."

"Well, in the spirit of chugging my half full glass, at least I'm not at the top of the list," Lorelai responded.

Rory smiled. "Oh, the things you can do with a lemon…"

"Listen, Sweets, I'm on the road right now. Highway, actually. And I'm traveling at speeds that I'd kick your little cute butt if you ever hit, so do you mind if I call you back…since you just want to talk?"

"Highway?" she asked instead. "Why are you on the highway? And why are you speeding? You're not supposed to speed, you know."

Lorelai smiled into the phone. "Yes, Hon. I know. I'm not on a _Fast and Furious_ audition here. This speeding is necessary. I have to get to the Dragonfly quick, fast, and in a hurry."

"Where are you coming from?"

"Had a hair appointment in Hartford, and the lady with the magic hands barely began working her magic when I got a call for a delivery."

She went on to explain how she was rushing back so that she could sign for a stove that was about to be sent back to Canada. Though Luke had invested a large sum of money, she still couldn't afford to be frivolous and irresponsible by re-paying an extravagant shipping fee. Michel couldn't make it. Sookie couldn't make it either. So, like always, Lorelai was it.

"And now you're speeding," Rory followed dully.

"And talking. Can't forget talking. On the phone. While speeding. My drift is drifting. Do you see it? Is your baseball mitt ready?"

"I caught it, Mom."

"That's my girl."

"Okay, call me later when you're parked and safe, okay? I want to know how that whole kissing Luke thing is coming anyway. It's been two weeks, and you haven't mentioned anything, so…" She paused. "…have you done it yet?"

Lorelai felt her cheeks turn hot. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Rory. Dozens of times. In fact, I'm carrying his cheek-kissing baby as we speak."

"So, you haven't done it yet, but that's okay. I figured it'd take a while. Just call me whe--"

"Well! The time hasn't been right yet. I can't just kiss him out of the clear blue. Plus I've been busy with Jason…"

"You've been busy with Jason, so you haven't been able to give a half second kiss to someone?" Rory asked dubiously.

"So you understand, then," Lorelai replied with sarcasm.

"More than you know."

"Your tone is disturbing."

Rory sighed and calmly asked, "Is it the kissing part that has you or is it the kissing followed by the walking away?"

"Are you serious? With that question, I mean?"

"Because I can understand why it'd be hard to kiss someone and walk away. Especially if it's someone who you…you know. It'd be especially hard to give them such an innocent peck and leave. I can understand that, definitely."

"First of all, there's nothing to understand. I don't _'you know'_ Luke, okay? I can kiss him on the cheek and walk away with no problem."

"I believe you," said Rory.

Lorelai snickered. "No, you don't!"

"Well, I want to!" she corrected with her own laughter. "I'm on your side, Mom."

"You sure do have a weird way of showing it."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I can see you kiss him, and I can see you walking away, of course. I just happen to see a whoooole lot of stuff in-between--"

"Well, there won't be."

"Okay," Rory said pleasingly. "You know way better than I do."

Lorelai took a deep breath and looked at the clock in the jeep. "Look, babe, I'm almost to Stars Hollow. Can I call you when I get there and get everything settled? Hopefully with a beautifully made stove beside me?"

"Yeah, Mom, that's fine. Sorry to keep you. Just call me later."

"You know I will."

"And slow down! A stove isn't worth your life."

"Of course it's not. It's brand new and not even hooked up."

"Import a state of the art coffee machine, and we'll talk."

"You bet your ass, we will," Lorelai agreed.

Rory laughed. "Bye."

"Bye, Kid."

Lorelai ended the call and dropped her phone back in the cup holder. "Your own flesh and blood has no faith in you. You don't stand a chance, Lady," she muttered. She turned off on the exit that would take her to Stars Hollow, and immediately she placed her focus where it needed to be.

On the stove that was about to be sent back to its Canadian home.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"I'm here! I'm here!" Lorelai exclaimed as she rushed inside of the Dragonfly where Tom and a few of his guys were.

"Congratulations," he said drearily. "So am I."

Lorelai looked around frantically. "Where are the delivery people and their ridiculously huge truck that's supposed to be blocking the driveway?! Did I miss them?"

He nodded. "Yeah. They had some other deliveries to make. They left a while ago."

"Oh no, I nearly killed myself to get here, and I still missed them? This is so my luck." She got out her cell phone and turned to walk away.

Tom called after her. "Did you want to give them a tip or something? Cause the stove they dropped off looked like it could put a few of their kids through college, so I doubt they needed it," he joked.

Lorelai whirled around. "They dropped off the stove?" she asked with bugged out eyes. Before he could answer, she was hurrying into the kitchen.

Sure enough, it was there. Every expensive bit of it. It sat about two feet away from the wall, so they hadn't bothered to connect it. But Lorelai was just happy to see it sitting there. She ran back into the lobby.

"Tom, how were they able to deliver it?!" she asked in excitement. "Was Sookie able to come in?"

"No. How is she doing anyway? I haven't been seeing her."

"She's great. Busy. Being a mom is hard and inflexible work, unfortunately," she answered with just a hint of animosity that would surely melt away in the following seconds. Her eyes narrowed. "Michel, then?" she asked with confusion. She already knew the answer to that one. But if not him, then who?

"No," Tom answered. He looked up and answered casually. "It was Luke."

Lorelai's jaw fell. She allowed only a few seconds to process that. "L-Luke?" Her eyes searched the area. "How'd he even…because…what? _Who_?"

"Why's that such a shock? He's an investor, isn't he?" Lorelai nodded her answer distractedly. "So, was that a problem? Did you not want him to--"

"No, no, no! It's…_great_ he signed. I'm just wondering why he was even…" She was looking all around her at that point. "Where is he now?" she ended.

"He left." He answered the question that she didn't complete. "He came by with some lunch for you. He caught the delivery guys just as they were about to pull off." Tom looked back down to his work with disinterest. "You weren't here, so I hope you don't mind…one of the guys ate your food. Didn't want it to get cold."

Lorelai smiled and shook her head. "Thank him for me, will you?"

"I sure will."

Earlier, Lorelai was in the diner and had asked Luke to bring some lunch by the inn since she'd be busy most of the day. He refused, like she knew he would, but she couldn't resist an opportunity to bug him senseless. They went back and forth, and it ended the same way it'd started—with him not caving. Lorelai must have forgotten who she was dealing with.

Of _course_ Luke had stopped by to drop off food like she'd asked.

And of _course_ he came at the perfect moment and kept the stove from being shipped back.

"You weren't expecting him to come by, were you?" Tom asked with indifference. Her expression said it all.

She shook her head, brows raised slightly. "No. I wasn't," she answered honestly.

"Yeah, I can tell." He walked further away as he handed one the guys some measuring tape. "Kinda saved the day, didn't he?"

"Something like that."

He nodded. "He's at the diner if you want him."

Lorelai smiled and looked at him with suspicion. "What is that supposed to mean, Tom?"

He shrugged. "Just letting you know where he is. That's all."

"Yeah, right." She backed away toward the door. "I'll see you guys later," she said louder.

Collectively, everyone returned the acknowledgment.

Tom's eyes were on his work until Lorelai had turned and walked out. He looked up, smirked, and then returned to his job.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

The diner was filled with lunch patrons when Lorelai arrived.

She saw Luke standing behind the counter pouring coffee. He looked up as she came fully inside, and his head rose in greeting. She smiled.

Luke watched her walk from the door over to the bathroom area. He found that odd since she never used the facilities there. He narrowed his eyes at her, but hers were now facing forward. She headed in that direction, but instead of going into the restroom, she pushed aside the curtain and disappeared. Luke stared.

"What the hell is she doing?" he mumbled to himself.

"Hey! Dude!" the customer screeched.

Luke looked down quickly and found that the mug was full and he was now pouring coffee all over the countertop.

"Dammit!" he cursed. He set the pot down. "Sorry about that." He took a couple of towels out and laid them over the spill. "I'll be right back," he said to the teenager. He turned to see where Lorelai had gone.

"What about my coffee?!" the guy asked of the overflowing cup.

"Lean down and sip," Luke said dismissively.

"Great," he muttered. He bent down and proceeded to do just that.

Luke shoved the curtain aside, fully intending to start the climb upstairs. He was surprised by Lorelai's presence directly behind the curtain, though.

He jumped. She chuckled then apologized to him.

He looked around the narrow stairwell. "What are you doing back here?"

She sobered and took a step toward him. "I didn't want to do this in front of everyone, but thank you," she said with another step.

"What are you--"

He stopped talking when Lorelai pressed her body into his in order to hug his neck. His eyes bugged out over her shoulder, and he felt an instant discomfort. Her scent overwhelmed him with her so close. That, of course, made his heart beat faster. "O-okay," he whispered aloud as his mind worked to catch up to what had happened. He placed his arms around her waist tentatively and held her right back.

They stayed that way for seconds before he finally asked, "Um…what's this about?" The words were soft and quiet.

She loosened her hold only a little. "Sometimes I don't know what I did to deserve you," she revealed quietly. It wasn't really an answer to his question.

His eyes went narrow. "Okay…thank you?" he asked unsurely.

She smiled. "Awesome, awesome guy," she whispered. She turned her head and planted a kiss below his earlobe.

Luke almost felt his knees go weak. He swallowed and his hands went to her sides to end the hug. "Thanks," he said with appreciation.

He didn't force her to back away, but he encouraged her to as he moved his own body away. Lorelai went from hugging his neck to grasping the back of it gently with one hand while the other rested on his opposite shoulder. She moved in and kissed his cheek so sweetly.

He closed his eyes as her lips rested there for long seconds. "Lorelai," he whispered to get her attention.

She pulled away and looked up at him. "No, this is okay," she whispered back. Her breath was one that Luke had never heard from her before. "We can kiss this way. Friends can kiss this way." She glanced at his lips then back into his eyes. "It's totally fine," she ended.

"But…"

Again, she moved in and touched her lips to his face. "It's innocent," she breathed out. That kiss had the corner of her mouth on the corner of his.

He turned his head and placed his lips directly in front of hers at the same moment that she urged him to do so. They breathed quietly over one another's lips, grazing sensually. "Okay, um…not so innocent," said Luke.

"Not so innocent," she repeated.

They didn't back away at all. They both just stood in place and tried to think, knowing full well how impossible it was with that proximity. "We can't do this, Lorelai."

She nodded, touching his lips even more with hers. "I know," she followed.

They moved in at the same moment, and lips connected.

Lorelai moaned with such a deep satisfaction as the kiss immediately went to the land of no return. She handled Luke's intensity to the best of her ability, but his tongue was too skillful and his pace was filled with lust. She pulled away.

Luke swallowed and shook his head as if to clear fogginess. "Sorry, sorry, sorry," he said breathily. "I'm--"

She pulled him back in, and her words were barely intelligible. "Are you kidding me? Don't you dare apologize." She covered his lips fast and proceeded to build up his previous enthusiasm. They carried on longer than before, and then Luke was the one to break away. He broke the kiss and stepped back.

"Lorelai, we have to stop."

Her eyes pleaded with him. She moved back into his space. "No." She leaned in and kissed his bottom lip over and over until he met her mouth in another passionate kiss. They hugged one another tightly, and Lorelai breathed a sensual breath when Luke's lips went from hers down to her exposed neck. She rubbed the back of his neck as he sucked hers.

"Oohh, that feels so good, Luke," she whispered.

Luke felt those sexy, breathy words everywhere, and it made his body want to react in the worst way. With the way things were going, he had a feeling that if that happened, they'd end up having sex in the stairwell.

Sex.

He pulled his lips away and separated himself once again. He put as much space between them as the tiny area would allow. Lorelai followed his eyes, but she didn't bother stepping back over to him.

She swallowed and her lips parted. "I know," she said simply.

He looked down. "You're involved with somebody, and I think--"

"I said I know," she repeated quietly.

There was silence between them as they both avoided eye contact. When Luke built up the nerve to look at her, he asked, "Are you okay?"

She met his eyes and paused for a long moment before answering. "No. I'm not." She smiled a little. "What about you?"

He shrugged. Kinda in a way that said he was used to disappointment, so whenever it happened, it was just handled without complaint. They lowered their gazes again. And then the curtain was snatched back with no warning.

"There you are!" Lane exclaimed. "Hey Lorelai," she said in a kinder voice before turning focus back to Luke. "I could use some help out here, you know? Do you mind?"

Luke nodded. "Sorry, Lane. I'll be right out. Just talking to Lorelai about something."

"Okay, well, just remember my tips are on the line here, mister!"

"Ten seconds, and I'll be right there," he said kindly.

"Okay," she replied with satisfaction. She dropped the curtain back in place and left.

Lorelai smiled while looking at him. "You're a lot nicer to her than you are to Caesar and the other guy employees," she pointed out.

"Yeah, well." He shrugged. "She's a good kid," he covered.

"Rory's right. You are a softy."

"Oh, jeez."

Luke's shying gaze went back to her, and he found her watching him. "I better get back out there," he said with a point. He moved away from the wall and turned to leave. Lorelai reached out and placed her hand lightly on his midsection just as he touched the curtain to depart. He paused and looked down at her hand. Her eyes were on the side of his face.

"To be continued, Luke," she said softly.

With her fingers subtly rubbing across his stomach, she slid her hand away.

Luke appeared frozen. Finally, he took a steadying breath and walked out.

Lorelai fell back against the wall and raised her eyes high. She crossed her arms and brought in her swollen lips. She rubbed them together and shook her head at the memory that sprang up. She attempted to think less about Luke's body against hers and more about what she would say to Jason.

After a couple minutes had passed, she found herself having no luck in the area. She walked through the curtain and rejoined the townspeople, hoping that something would soon break through the plethora of Luke thoughts and give her an idea of what to say to a soon to be ex.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Sookie, where's Jackson?"

Sookie continued to laugh gleefully through the phone. "He's at the store, why?"

"Because you're way too loud, and if he's sitting right there beside you, it'll defeat the purpose of you agreeing to _keep this to yourself_," she admonished.

She calmed down some. "Well, relax. He's not here."

Lorelai switched ears as she laid down on her sofa. "So, tell me what I should say."

"To Jason?"

"Yes. Of course to Jason."

Sookie kicked things around as she waded through her messy living room. "Tell him you've moved on. Tell him you've found greener pastures. Tell him you've found the ying to your yang, and he's no longer needed! Just get him out of the picture," she said with a grand wave of her hand.

"Sook."

"What? I'm serious!"

"Okay, but you're not helping. This man has never done a thing to me. At least not as an adult," she muttered as an afterthought. "Anyway, he's been great, and I don't want him to get hurt."

Sookie laughed. "You may have wanted to think about that before you and Luke went at it in his apartment."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "It wasn't in his apartment."

Sookie leaned into the phone. "Yeah, because _that's_ the part that matters the most."

"Sookie."

"Still not helping, huh?"

"Not one tiny bit."

Sookie dropped down on the couch and crossed her legs with a tired sigh. "Tell me about the kiss again."

"Is that helping my dilemma?" Lorelai asked snippily.

"Who knows? Let's see what happens when you tell me again."

She covered her face in exhaustion. "I'm not telling you again. You can barely contain yourself as it is."

Sookie smiled brightly. "Here I'll start you off." Her tone got dreamy and exaggeratory. "_Sookie, I've never experienced anything like that! Oh my god, I can't stop thinking about-_-"

"Okay, I'm hanging up."

"No! Why?"

Lorelai sat up. "Because my best friend is providing me with absolutely no help." She sighed. "And plus, I need coffee."

Sookie scoffed. "You need Luke is what you mean."

"Hanging up now!"

"Is it my fault I'm happy to finally see you get together with this great guy who I've been telling you all along is perfect for you?"

"Please call me back if you can focus your mind enough to help me out of this predicament. Can you do that?"

She giggled. "I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."

"Bye, Sook."

"Bye! Enjoy your _coffee_!"

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai walked inside of the diner.

It had been a week.

A week since the kiss. A week since she'd ended things with Jason. A week since _telling_ Luke she'd ended things with Jason. She visited the diner frequently, and she and Luke were unnervingly platonic. Like two _non_ kissing-and-groping-in-the-stairwell friends.

No one knew what had happened between them except for Sookie who'd been given the play-by-play the day it'd happened. Rory was still in the dark. Lorelai thought it best to tell her when there was actually something to tell. So far, she still thought her mom was waiting for the elusive cheek kissing moment.

Lorelai played it cool all week. She waited for Luke to approach her, but he had yet to do that.

They carried on with normal banter. For a damn week, they did that.

On this day, when Lorelai entered, she sat at the counter and ordered coffee. While watching Luke move around in work-mode, she suddenly realized how unwilling she was to wait any longer for him to make a move. What happened in the stairwell had her wanting to explore everything she could with him. Now, she sat wondering if it'd had the opposite effect on him.

When he learned that she and Jason had split, he seemed to not mind the news. He even seemed pleased. Still, he nodded and did the eye contact thing while he asked how she was holding up. It was a nice moment that she appreciated very much. But with Luke's ongoing behavior, her mind was going to the bad place where there was plenty of impatience and conclusions that were easy to jump to.

Luke took out a rag and wiped the countertop as Lorelai watched him.

"Luke, do you not want to do this?"

He paused. "What?" he asked confusedly.

She gestured between the two of them. "This," she said softer. "You and me. Do you not want to see what's there?"

Luke swallowed nervously and looked around the near-empty diner before returning his eyes to her. "Yeah, of course I do," he answered quietly. He stuttered in a way that made her smile. "W-w-what makes you think I don't?"

She leaned in so her words could get quieter. "Because you haven't done anything; you haven't asked me out; you haven't even acknowledged…what happened."

Again, he looked around. "You haven't either, though."

She shrugged. "Well, I was kind of waiting for you to," she admitted.

He bit his lip momentarily and looked down. "I just wanted to give you time, ya know? With your relationship just ending, I thought you'd need that."

Her eyes were glued to his as she let his words sink in. She smiled slowly. "I wasn't in a relationship, Luke. It was a…" She searched for a word. "…thing, I guess. But not a relationship. When you and I…" He nodded while looking at her, "…well, when that happened," she went on to say, "It was over. Just like that." She smiled at his smile. "I don't need time," she concluded.

"Really?" he asked to be sure.

"Do _you_ need time?"

"I definitely don't need time," he assured.

She sat up straight again. "Then what exactly are we waiting for?"

Luke smiled.

"Coffee for here, please," an older man asked as he took a seat a few stools down. "And a slice of apple pie."

"Yeah, uh, coming up," Luke replied as he turned to the machine.

Lorelai pulled a napkin from the dispenser and took a pen from her purse. As Luke poured coffee for the newest customer, she wrote. He set the pot down, then returned to where she was now looking up at him with a smile.

"What's that?" he asked with a solid tap to the folded napkin.

She slid it over to him, then picked up her coffee and drank as he read it. First, he raised his eyebrows, then he smiled. "How old are we again?"

Lorelai lowered her mug, then slid her pen over to him as well. "Choose," she instructed.

He dropped the napkin. "I'm not participating in this," he stated vapidly. "I'll pick you up for dinner tonight at seven."

She grabbed the pen and napkin and drew several circles around the answer of _yes_. She held it up. "Would that have killed you?" She pointed to each of the words. "_Will you go out with me? Yes. No. Maybe._ It's classic and fun and--"

"Used for hook-ups in elementary school," he finished. "Are you free for dinner or not?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes." She circled the answer on the napkin a few more times. "Yeeeees." She set the pen down. "Jeez." With a sudden bright smile, she held up her mug. "Refill please!"

Luke smiled and his eyes dropped down to the counter briefly. "You know where this is going, don't you?" She narrowed her eyes in question. He picked up the pen and circled another answer as many times as she had. "No," he said. He circled it some more. "Nooooo." He dropped the pen and stood up. "You're right. That is fun."

"But not nearly as amusing."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" he muttered as he got her some more coffee. He faced her when done, and they both smiled while avoiding eye contact.

"If you two are finished blushing and giggling, do you mind getting my pie?" the man grumped.

Luke turned away when Lorelai chuckled. That kind of stuff didn't bother her nearly as much as it did him.

"Yeah, just a sec," he replied with red cheeks.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai hung up her jacket roughly and kicked off her shoes.

She stalked into the kitchen of her house. "Oh my god, this _town_!" she exclaimed aloud to no one. "As much as I love this…stupid town…sometimes I _swear_, I could just…" She wrung an invisible neck before snatching up her coffee pot and moving to the sink.

She and Luke had just come from an evening out. He'd taken her to a special restaurant from his childhood. They had a wonderful time, and when it came time for him to drop her off, Lorelai was fully prepared to pick up where they'd left off a week ago. Hell, she at least wanted to kiss him goodnight. _Something_!

But as soon as they approached her front door, Babbette emerged from the neighboring house. She asked question after question about what they were doing. They avoided all of them. And by the time it looked as if she was going back inside, Luke had turned to Lorelai and ended the evening with a smile and a promise to call her later. Thanks to Babbette, they didn't even get to shake hands.

As Lorelai stomped around her kitchen, she wondered how disappointed Luke was. Because she was _pissed_.

She put on a pot of coffee then went into the living room to watch television. She definitely needed a distraction.

---

An hour later, Lorelai lay on her couch staring up at the ceiling. Her hands rested on her stomach. She still wore the clothes that she'd gone out in, and the frustration that originated on her front porch was still brewing. Even though she'd calmed down a great deal, she remained irked at the lack of a proper end cap to her evening.

She didn't necessarily want sex. She just needed something in the land of intimacy. Last time she and Luke had kissed, it wasn't supposed to happen. She was involved with someone, and all she'd gone in there to do was kiss his cheek innocently. It'd just gotten out of control. Now, what she needed was something to happen on purpose. They had yet to have that real first kiss.

But the taboo session had her yearning. Due to Babbette's intrusion, she had to wait even longer.

"I think I'm going to move on Monday," she mumbled calmly.

The phone rang, and Lorelai picked up the remote and lowered the volume on the TV without taking her gaze from the ceiling. She dropped the remote, reached down by her thigh and brought her cordless phone to her ear.

"Hello."

"Hey."

She smiled instantly. "Wow. Usually when guys say they're gonna call, it's rarely in the same week, let alone the same night," she joked to Luke.

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to…hear your voice…or something," he said, feeling lame.

"Really?"

Luke paused and took the time to knock himself in the head. "Yeah. Wanted to check on you and, uh, make sure Babbette didn't come over and interrogate you to death."

"Very noble of you, Luke."

"Thanks." He began to feel silly for calling her. He'd just been sulking around his apartment kicking himself for leaving like he had without so much as a kiss. And now that he was on the phone, he felt that everything he said made him look like a guy who just wanted another shot to get laid.

He felt like an idiot, to say the least.

"I, uh…I really did just want to hear your voice, Lorelai," he said quietly.

She paused. "Yeah. You said."

He nodded and dropped his head. "Okay, well, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Lorelai looked over at the time on the clock. "Why don't I see you tonight instead?"

Luke was cautious in speaking. "Come again."

Lorelai smiled widely but chose to let that one go. "I want to see you, Luke. Tonight."

Luke looked at his own clock. "Y-you want me to come back over?" he asked with hesitation.

She nodded. "Yeah, I uh…" Her smile widened, "…I have a chick loose."

Luke smiled on his end. "You don't say."

"I could really use some assistance. Can you come over?"

Luke's foot hung halfway out of his shoe which he'd been slipping on and off in contemplation for the past hour. At Lorelai's words, he slipped it back on. "I'll be right there."

"Kay. Hurry."

They both clicked off.

---

Lorelai's left leg rested on the top of the sofa. The right one moved up and down the back of Luke's thighs.

She and he kissed deeply as he palmed her bra-covered breasts. Luke's erection, which Lorelai could feel as if they were both nude, was making her uncomfortable in _her_ jeans. She could only imagine how he felt in his. She squeezed her hands between their naked upper bodies and unfastened the button on his pants.

Her hands, then, went to his back, and she held him tightly. Tongues untangled, and they kissed body parts as they caught their breath.

"Luke?" she whispered.

"Hm?" He took his lips across her clavicle.

"Luke?" she whispered again since she was so distracted.

"Yeah?" He went up and started on her neck.

"Do you have anything?" she finally asked as her hands roamed his body.

He shook his head against her. "No. I'm clean," he answered before busying his talented mouth again.

She smiled, and it went away when he relentlessly started sucking the most sensitive part of her neck. "Mmmm!" He let up, and she got some of her thinking ability back. "Me too…but that's not what I…what I m-meant."

He moved his mouth back to hers, and they opened up and kissed in the way they'd perfected. Luke's pace was now Lorelai's pace. And they moved with perfect harmony. He pulled away some. "What'd you mean?" he got out before Lorelai lifted her head and met his lips again. They kissed so deep.

Luke applied tolerable pressure to her nipples as they broke again.

Heavy breaths accompanied her words. "Protection," she finally answered. He kissed her gently around her throat. "Something that'll…keep us from making a couple of little Lukes."

"Oh." He pulled up and looked down at her. Her eyes were glazed. "Yeah, I've got us covered," he answered.

She nodded and touched his face. "Bed?"

He nodded back at her, and her hand slipped over his lips. "Bed sounds great."

She continued to touch his mouth. "We should have done this a long time ago," she said after a moment.

"Tell me about it," he agreed.

She sat up and kissed him before they both got to their feet.

---

Luke held Lorelai's waist firmly as she rode him. Her hands were on his. She kept up a mesmerizing flow as she took all of him.

He watched her breasts. Perky. Perfectly sized. With two hardened nipples that he'd taken into his mouth too many times to count by then. Lorelai moaned sweetly. She moved with her eyes closed, feeling Luke both emotionally and physically.

She made love to him.

The rhythm was effortless. They connected. Just the multitude of feelings that finally had been given an outlet.

She hit her peak and moved slower on him. He stiffened more inside of her, and it extended her shutters. The feeling of satiation spread within her and made her want to freeze-frame in that position. She felt she could fall asleep in that moment—with him firmly inside.

Luke rubbed her back as she came to lay flat against his chest. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Oh, yeah."

He smiled, then laughed. "So we can…continue?"

"Please do," came her languorous response.

He lay there with her motionless body on top of him while he felt the beating of her internal walls driving him mad. He finally rolled her over gently and climbed on top of her. She brought her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to meet hers.

He drove himself into her and reawakened her desire all over again.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

The following day, the diner was fairly packed when Lorelai arrived.

She came inside, and when Luke looked at her, she gave him a knowing smile. She did the same thing that had him in confusion a week prior. She went behind the curtain.

"Be right back," Luke yelled to Caesar.

He pushed the curtain back and saw her leaning against the wall patiently.

"Is this becoming like a thing with you?" he asked.

She moved toward him and placed a hand on his cheek before kissing his lips. "Do you have a problem with it?" Her touch broke him immediately. He shook his head. "Good answer," she responded. She smiled and pulled him down further. They kissed, then separated. "I'm about to meet Rory for lunch," she got out.

"Here?"

She shook her head and brought his lips back to hers briefly. "Yale," she answered when they broke.

"Okay."

She swallowed and stared at his mouth. "Well, I'm going to tell her about you and me."

He nodded. "That's great."

"Yeah, it is. But she told me a while ago that I'd never be able to give you a Kirk-kiss and walk away."

He frowned. "Kirk-kiss? What the hell is that?"

"Kiss on the cheek," she simplified.

"Oh."

"Well, I intend to tell her she was wrong."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah."

"Don't you think that if you tell her we're together, she'll just kind of assume--"

"No, no, _first_ I get proven right. _Then_, I let her in on all the other goodness."

"Guess it makes sense to you," he said with a defeatist headshake. "You know you have yet to actually give me this so called Kirk-kiss, right?"

"Mmhm. And that's why I'm here." Luke's confused look said it all. She moved both hands to his face and pulled him in. Their tongues glided for over twenty seconds before Luke pulled away from her with a spinning head.

"What are you doing? Is this supposed to be helping you prove something?!"

She straightened her clothes and took a steadying breath. With a quick tug on his flannel, she brought his cheek to her lips and kissed him soundly. She pulled away with a look of triumph. "That was the kiss, and now this is me walking away," she announced with a point toward the curtain. She turned. "I'll see you later, Luke."

He stared after her dumbly until he heard Caesar calling his name. He snapped out of his daze and made sure his lips were clear of lipstick. "Damn, with loopholes like that, Rory never stood a chance," he mumbled before heading out.

**-The End-**

This is the song that doesn't eeeend. Yes, it goes on and on, my frieeend. Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, but they'll continue singing it forever just because this is the song….

Ha! I have no idea why that just came to me. I hope you all enjoyed the story. If so, shoot me some feedback! If not, shoot me some feedback! ;) Peace.


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